Sanders Against Nuclear-Sized Bomb Test Near Bedford and Mitchell
August 17, 2006
............................NEWS ADVISORY
For Release: Thursday, August 17, 2006
Contact: David Sanders
765-714-8870
"Sanders Against Nuclear-Sized Bomb Test Near Bedford and Mitchell"
Indianapolis, Indiana -- David Sanders, candidate for the U.S. House 4th District, had strong words about using a Bedford, Indiana quarry to test a bomb with the power of a nuclear weapon. The bomb, code-named "Divine Strake," would create an underground explosion the equivalent of 700 tons of TNT. A blast of that magnitude could send a mushroom cloud 10,000 feet high. The detonation would be one of the largest controlled non-nuclear blasts in military history.
Sanders was quoted as saying, "This is irresponsible. The people of Nevada stopped this explosion from happening on their soil, so the federal government started to look for a place that is politically less protected. Apparently, that’s Bedford in the 4th Congressional District of Indiana."
Congressman Buyer, in whose district the proposed explosion site lies, had apparently not been notified about the potential test. In a statement to NBC Eyewitness News, Channel 13, Buyer's office seemed caught off guard by the story. It said that Indiana "needs to be educated about this project and its possibilities."
Sanders responded, "Buyer is completely out of touch with the people in his district if he thinks we want a conventional bomb with the power of a nuclear weapon going off where we live. Does he really think education is the answer?"
Divine Strake is a $23 million test, which was originally designed for a Nevada desert test site. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) was planning the test before Nevada citizens and politicians called for the DTRA to halt the test.
According to the Washington Post on March 31st, "The DTRA claims [Divine Strake] is to test how well a massive conventional bomb would perform against fortified underground targets." In fact, some nuclear weapons experts suggest that the test is intended to simulate a "low-yield nuclear weapon ground shock."
The effects of the blast would be felt for miles around Bedford and Mitchell. Blasts of 1.5 tons of TNT are already felt by locals. A blast 500 times that amount would send large shockwaves through the area and could prove an environmental hazard.
Sanders was quoted as saying, "The only reason our district is being mentioned is because Buyer is so powerless in Washington. The DTRA knows that Buyer doesn’t care about his constituents. He can't and won't say no. We need to stop this, because he won't."
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St. Joe Valley Greens, South Bend, IN